Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight skids of runway, splits into two

TDT | Kerala

A pilot and 17 passengers were killed, and over 100 passengers were injured when an AirIndia express flight carrying 191 passengers from Dubai skidded off the runway, plunging nose down into a gorge, splitting into two, while landing at Calicut International Airport, Kerala, amidst heavy rain.

There were 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew members on board the Air India express IX 1344 operating as part of Indian government’s Vande Bharat evacuation mission. A critically injured co-pilot and other passengers, who were injured, were rushed to nearby hospitals.

The Kerala state police chief said at least 17 people had been killed, with at least four passengers stuck in the wreckage. Early images from the site showed the aircraft’s fuselage broken into two pieces with the entire area littered with debris. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the accident occurred at around 7:40 pm.

No fire reported at the time of landing. The incident happened at Kozhikode international airport, also known as Karipur Airport, in the state of Kerala. Initial reports said the plane skidded off the runway and fell down the valley at least 35 feet below.